Smart tips for parents about “educational” apps for kids

Tens of thousands of supposedly educational apps aimed at young children are little more than “digital candy” that offer few benefits for youngsters, according to a new study.

The research, published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest, found that many of the 80,000 apps in the Apple app store may not be harmful but do “add even more distraction to children’s deeply distracting lives.”

“Many apps marketed as educational are basically the equivalent of sugary foods,” co-author Kathy Hirsh-Pasek of Temple University said of their findings.

To help parents differentiate between the good and bad educational apps on the market, the researchers offered these tips:

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